


Proof

by AlessiaHeartilly



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlessiaHeartilly/pseuds/AlessiaHeartilly
Summary: “You mean you want proof of you wearing a silly, red sweater on your desk?”
Relationships: Rinoa Heartilly/Squall Leonhart
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Winter Festival 2020





	Proof

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [SapientesGladio (Irredivivous)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irredivivous/pseuds/SapientesGladio) in the [Winter_Festival_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Winter_Festival_2020) collection. 



> **Winter Festival 2020 - Prompt:** Week One: Sweater  
> This can be considered a companion fic to my story _Oxygen_ , but you don’t need to read that too to understand this one. Just keep in mind that I used the same headcanon: Laguna knew Raine was pregnant when he left, they chose Squall’s name together; Winhill’s people told him that Ellone never came back, Raine died and Squall was stillborn. He found out the truth when Ellone reached Esthar during the game. Hope you like it!  
> For those who want to read _Oxygen_ , though, it takes places a little more than a year before _Proof_.  
> This is just fluff, something I need in my life at the moment. And Squall + Rinoa + baby = aw! Enjoy <3  
>  **Disclaimer** : FFVIII still not mine

**PROOF**

“Remind me again why I should wear this… thing?” said Squall, sticking his fingers into the collar of the wool festive sweater he was wearing.

“Because your sister knitted it. And she is very keen on seeing the three of us in them. And Kiran looks adorable in it, doesn’t he?” Rinoa smiled, holding their son on her hip as she bent down a little to collect his pacifier from the coffee table.

Squall’s annoyed expression softened when his eyes fell on the little boy. “Of course he does. You both look adorable. Always.” He scratched his neck; he loved his sister, but that wool felt really itchy. “I just look stupid and I can’t wait to take it off.”

“Oh, that’s not true and you know it,” she said, pointing her finger at him. “You look absolutely stunning. Red really suits you.” She laughed, seeing how his expression darkened at that. “I also appreciate you ditched combat pants today. Laguna and Ellone will appreciate it too.” She moved nearer to him. “Here, hold Kiran, so you’ll stop being such a sourpuss.”

“I’m not a sourpuss,” he countered, taking the boy from her arms. Kiran cooed happily and Squall smiled, holding him to his chest.

Rinoa snickered. “You are. Unless you’re holding him.” She looked at her boyfriend and son smiling, with her hands on her hips, shaking her head.

“Am not,” he said, kissing the little, chubby fingers his son was pushing into his mouth.

“Are too. Sometimes,” she said, hugging him, Kiran comfortably pressed between them. She knew Squall loved holding them both like that, and the boy squealed and laughed, feeling his parents’ embrace. “But I love you, even if you’re a sourpuss.”

Squall bent his head down to kiss her quickly. “Come on, we should go, or Ellone will come looking for us.”

* * *

Rinoa sat on the sofa of Laguna’s private apartment at Esthar’s Presidential Palace, smiling as she watched Squall, Kiran, and Ellone on the carpet. Squall was holding the boy as he tried to move a few, unsure steps towards Ellone, who was making funny faces and playing peek-a-boo with him. Kiran stayed silent as long as Ellone had her face covered, then burst into a joyful laugh that filled the entire room.

Rinoa felt her heart grow larger as Squall, laughing, bent his head to kiss his son’s. He had forgotten his discomfort with his sister’s gift: she knew he could not stay annoyed for long if Kiran was involved. And her little boy looked fricking cute with his mini-sweater. He looked like a miniature of his father, with larger smiles and an infectious laugh. He looked like the kind of child Squall would have been, if Winhill’s people had allowed it. She shook her head; thinking about that always made her a little angry. Squall was denied a lot in his childhood, but now he had a son whose eyes lit like stars every time he saw him, a father that adored him, and a sister that loved him dearly.

And a girlfriend that almost worshipped him.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Laguna had disappeared for a few minutes to make a phone call and had come back into the room, noticing her dreamy gaze on her family. “Wanna help me with tea? I can’t wait to eat that cake you baked. You know I love chocolate!”

Rinoa smiled, standing up. “Of course! And that’s exactly why I baked it, Laguna.”

Laguna turned to look at the three on the carpet. “Ellone, don’t tire Kiran too much. After tea, it’s my turn!”

The boy laughed again when Ellone dropped her hands from her face with a grin. “No promises!”

Laguna and Rinoa crossed the palace to reach the kitchen. He had told the servants they could go home for the evening; he and his guests could manage. The place was silent, except for their steps.

They entered the kitchen and Laguna turned on the kettle, while Rinoa prepared a tray with the teapot, mugs, and saucers for the cake, that she spotted on the kitchen island. She opened a drawer to look for silverware when Laguna said, in a serious tone, “I think I owe you a lot.”

“Mmh? How so?” she asked, blinking, retrieving teaspoons and forks.

He shrugged, feeling a dull pain in his leg. “Squall being here… I guess you have a lot to do with that.”

Rinoa smiled. “You’re wrong. He came to that decision on his own.”

It was Laguna’s turn to blink. “Really?”

Rinoa nodded, cutting the cake. “He was thinking about you a lot. He just… he wasn’t used to sharing his thoughts. He was getting better at it, but this was… too personal, I guess. I felt his unease through our bond, but I respected him. He needed time to figure this out on his own, and he deserved it. I also know he appreciates a lot how **_you_** respected him on this subject. He will never admit it, though.”

“He deserved it. I didn’t have the right to come into his life like that.”

“Don’t beat yourself about it. You were told he was dead. The cruelty you had to endure justifies your eagerness. It’s just that… Squall was really closed off when I met him. He opened up a little during the war… just not enough to accept you as a father. Not yet.”

Laguna nodded. “So he thought about me?”

“Yeah,” replied Rinoa, leaning against the table. “He was pondering his next move. I felt he wanted to mend things with you, he just didn’t know how to. That was when we found out we were expecting Kiran. He was… we didn’t really think about having a child, you know. No sorceress in history had children, as far as we know. Kiran was a surprise. And that’s when I understood everything was going to be fine between you and Squall.” She grinned.

“How so?” asked Laguna, particularly intrigued by that turn of events. The tension that made his leg ache was slowly ebbing away.

“Dr. Kadowaki said exactly what I just told you. We didn’t know anything about sorceresses and pregnancy. For all we knew, a sorceress could not have children. That, of course, didn’t mean she could not conceive… and then miscarry. We were scared, but we were also excited. The moment we found out I was pregnant, we decided we wanted that baby so much it hurt.”

“I can understand that,” said Laguna quietly.

“The doctor said if we wanted to keep the baby, my pregnancy had to be considered very high risk. She gave so many instructions I’m not even sure I remember all of them. She warned us that even following them all to the letter, there was a chance I could not carry to term. She insisted it would not be our fault if it happened. She was very helpful. Almost maternal. I guess she cares a lot about Squall.” Rinoa smiled a little, reminiscing that afternoon in the Infirmary. “We went home and talked about this a lot. We wouldn’t be able to keep my pregnancy a secret. Please understand… this was not decided on a whim. We didn’t want to make someone happy for the baby and having to tell later the baby was gone. It was hard enough with our friends because we knew they loved us like brothers and sisters and would suffer with us if I miscarried. We decided to keep quiet to you, Ellone and Caraway. Garden was going to be mobile for a few months. Our contacts with you or my father would be very limited. We decided we would enjoy this experience as it came, one day at a time. Squall specifically said we couldn’t tell you and Ellone about Kiran, because you had to endure the pain of losing a son. We couldn’t do that to you again. That’s when I realized he cares about you.”

“I never thought this was a decision you both took lightly. You are both more mature than you think. And I’ll thank Squall for that all my life.”

Rinoa grinned. “Thank you. Anyway… Squall was wonderful during those months. And our friends too. They were often with me since I was almost bedridden. I read a lot, watched a lot of movies, watched too many tv series… and I also listened to Squall a lot. I think the idea of becoming a father did for him what all his overthinking did not achieve. He slowly warmed up to the idea of being a son, too.” The kettle whistled, and Laguna turned it off. “When Kiran started moving, Squall would place his hand on my belly. His expression was… so amazing. I cannot describe it. He used to tell me you were denied this. The feeling of your son moving in your wife’s belly. He never told me, but I know he wondered about how you felt being told he was stillborn.”

Laguna swallowed, not knowing what to say.

“I was due in mid-October. In late September, Squall started talking about getting your surname too, when we got back to Balamb. He was… unsure. He didn’t know if you were ok with that.”

“How could I **_not be ok_** with that?” blurted Laguna.

“He just didn’t want to hurt your feelings on such a delicate subject. I encouraged him to do what he felt was right and then ask for your permission.” Rinoa shrugged. “As you see, I didn’t do anything. I just listened to him and encouraged him to do something he’d already decided. When you came to Balamb, it was his idea to introduce our son to you. Ellone and I had a plan, obviously, but it was just to leave you two alone. It was his idea to get your surname. It was his idea to invite you to stay at our apartment whenever you felt like seeing Kiran.”

She fell silent, and Laguna was quiet too. Rinoa poured the hot water into the teapot. “So what I wanted to say is that you don’t owe me anything, Laguna.”

He smiled. “I’m not really sure about that, you know. You make my son very happy. That means a lot.”

“He makes me very happy too,” she said, with a joyful smile on her face.

“And you also made my Ellone very happy. She loves you like a sister. I think I owe you the happiness of my children.”

“Well, you’re welcome then.” She beamed. “We should go back, or you won’t be able to play with Kiran. Come on, I’ll carry the cake, you can take the tray.”

Laguna smiled, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “I wouldn’t trust the man with leg cramps with china, you know.”

Rinoa laughed, got Kiran’s pudding from the fridge, and took the tray. “Ok, you carry the cake then.”

Laguna gently touched her wrist, a soft expression on his face. “Thank you, Rinoa. Those things you told me about Squall… they mean a lot. I’ll be forever grateful to you for telling me. You can’t imagine what it means to me knowing he wanted me in his life. Thanks.”

Rinoa smiled. “You’re very welcome, Laguna.”

* * *

When they got back, Ellone was sitting on an armchair and Squall was sitting on the sofa, with Kiran in his lap. Ellone was laughing at something her brother had said, and Squall was distracting the boy from the absence of his mother.

As soon as Rinoa and Laguna entered the room, Kiran flailed his little arms at his mother, and she giggled, setting the tray on the coffee table. She went to sit near Squall and took the boy from his arms, loudly kissing Kiran’s face as he giggled. Squall was watching them with a smile, one arm on the back on the sofa, the other gently caressing his son’s back. He was going to say something when he heard a click and turned to look accusingly at Ellone, who put her phone away, giggling.

“Sorry, I had to take the photo. You three are so adorable! And I needed proof you willingly wore that sweater!”

Squall snorted. “Define **_willingly_**.”

“You’re such a sourpuss, you know? See, Kiran loves it!” said Ellone, watching her nephew as he grabbed his father’s sweater, cooing. “Also get used to it. I’ll take a lot of pictures, especially when you don’t expect them,” she concluded, sticking her tongue out at him.

“I want those pictures too. Take an awful lot of them please,” said Laguna, offering a mug of tea and a slice of cake to Ellone.

“You bet! I freed up my phone’s memory for this.”

“I hope you plan to send them to me, too,” said Rinoa, balancing Kiran on her lap.

“I thought you loved me,” mumbled Squall, jokingly narrowing his eyes at her.

“I do, that’s why I want those pictures. Ellone can even use my phone if she runs out of memory,” she challenged with a smile, taking the mug Laguna offered her.

Squall grunted. “I feel outnumbered.”

“You are,” said Laguna, offering the mug to his son. “You should get used to it. I have a feeling it’ll happen a lot, you know.”

Squall took the mug, mumbling his thanks, being careful to keep it out of his son’s reach. Kiran apparently loved his sweater and grabbed at it whenever he had the chance to. He had to admit it was not as annoying as it had been a few hours before. And he also had to admit he had fun playing with Kiran and Ellone. The boy loved his aunt and she adored him. He felt… at ease. At home.

He let his arm move around Rinoa’s shoulders, holding her closer to him. He listened to the chatter around him, thinking he liked that too. He never had a real family, never had an aunt – or a mother, for that matter – play peek-a-boo with him. Never had a sister who knitted sweaters – albeit a little too red for his taste – and who was happy if he wore them. He never had tea and chocolate cake, as a kid. He had never played in his parents’ lap as Kiran did every day.

Rinoa said, sometimes, that he was living his childhood through Kiran’s. And she was right, he realized. And he was grateful for that opportunity.

Kiran reached out to grab his sweater again as if trying to get his attention. Squall looked down and smiled, and the big grin on his son’s face was heartwarming. He bent down to kiss his forehead, then quickly kissed Rinoa on her lips. Kiran’s chubby hands smacked his chest.

“What?” he said, laughing. “I can’t kiss mommy?”

He heard another click, then. He heard several of them. Ellone was sure bent on filling her phone with pictures of them.

But this time, he didn’t mind.

* * *

This was the moment he loved the most.

Esthar was particularly beautiful at night. Laguna had armchairs in front of a window, so he could sit there and watch outside, at the stars, at the sky, at the way the city almost shined.

Squall had always loved Esthar. He often felt uneasy there – especially during the war, always alert for danger, and then because there was tension between him and his father and he was too socially awkward and his father was too eager. Then, after Kiran’s birth, he had felt more at ease. When he had visited the Palace with Rinoa and their son, in summer, he had found an apartment waiting for them, complete with anything they may need. His father had given them privacy, never forcing him. It was a finesse Squall had greatly appreciated, because he had not imaged his father as a man capable of such tact.

It was something that made him feel at home.

They were on the armchairs, now, the boys of the family, as Ellone had called them before whisking Rinoa away for “girl things”, exaggerating the quotation gesture so much that Squall had immediately understood the girls had just decided to give them a father-son moment and not be subtle about it. Laguna was holding Kiran, who was sleeping peacefully on his chest, with his Kactuar teddy bear and the Chocobo onesie he still wore to bed. Squall was simply enjoying his favorite moment. There was silence, but it wasn’t tense like it was in the past; it was a silence they both cherished and enjoyed, without the remorse, the guilt, the uneasiness, and the pain that tinted their conversations before Kiran’s birth.

“There’s something I’d like to tell you,” said Squall after a while, whispering so as not to disturb his son’s sleep.

“Mh?”

Squall turned to look at him. “We’re getting married. In a few months, probably. Rinoa wants to be a summer bride.”

Laguna chuckled lightly. “Congratulations, son. She will be a stunning bride and an amazing wife.”

Squall nodded. “Yeah. I still don’t understand how she puts up with me.”

“Maybe you’re not as difficult to put up with as you think.”

“Mh. Maybe.”

“Definitely,” said Rinoa, entering the room. She plopped down on Squall’s lap and kissed his hair. “And even if you were difficult, it would be worth it.”

“Remember that next time you call me a sourpuss,” he joked, circling her waist with his arm. “Where’s Ellone?”

“Her boyfriend called and I gave them privacy. Do you mind if I stay here?” she asked.

Laguna shook his head. “Squall told me you’ll be a summer bride. Congratulations. I can’t wait to officially call you my daughter-in-law.” He smiled at them.

Rinoa grinned, watching her boy sleeping on his grandfather’s chest. Squall let Laguna hold Kiran whenever he wanted, as long as he wanted. He had told her how his father felt holding Kiran, and she thought it incredibly sweet that her boyfriend understood and respected his father’s feelings. “Thanks. I can’t wait to have you as my official father-in-law, too.”

“You’ll come, right?” said Squall softly. “You and Ellone. Her boyfriend too, if she wants. And Ward and Kiros too. It will be a small ceremony, but we’d really appreciate it if you’d be there.”

“Of course, son. I can’t tell embarrassing stories about you, but I sure can think of something.” His voice trembled with emotion, though.

“As long as you don’t lose the rings,” said Squall with a small smile.

“Rings? Why should I keep your rings?” asked Laguna.

Squall watched Rinoa, and there was a kind of silent communication between them. He turned to his father again and shrugged. “Well, that’s one of the duties of a best man, last time I checked.”

“Oh.” Laguna looked at the smiling faces of his son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, comprehension dawning upon him. “Oh.” He chuckled; he couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t dare doubt it either. “Oh. Sure, son. I won’t lose the rings.”

* * *

Rinoa tucked her son into bed, gently caressed his head, and turned to Squall. He was leaning on the doorframe, looking at her with a smile on his face.

She smiled back and slipped into his open arms. “You had fun today,” she whispered, grazing his neck with her lips.

“Yeah,” he whispered back. “It was nice.”

“I’m sorry for your father, though. Ellone kind of hogged Kiran.”

Squall made a noise that sounded like a muffled smile. “I think we made it up to him with the best man thing.”

“He was so happy.” Rinoa sighed, raising her head and moving his hair back, to look him in the eyes. “I felt it, you know. Something you were mulling over.”

“It feels… right,” whispered Squall. He was silent, then opened his mouth to add something, but closed it again, shaking his head.

“What?” she asked, pressing closer.

“Do you think Zell and Irvine will mind?”

Rinoa stretched to kiss his lips. “They’ll understand. You don’t have to worry about your friends… they love you. They’ll be happy for you. Just as they were happy when we had Kiran.”

Squall nodded, pulling her closer to kiss her again. He thought back to when they had gingerly started to think about baby names, torn between the incredible longing to be a normal couple expecting a child and the paralyzing fear that something might go wrong. Rinoa had shown him the book she was reading, a historic novel on ancient Centra. And they had found that name, Kiran. They had found out it meant _ray of light_. And they had immediately agreed on naming their baby Kiran.

It proved to be the perfect name. Kiran was a ray of light, in their lives, in their friends’ lives, and especially in Laguna’s life. If Squall was living his childhood through his son’s, then Laguna was living his fatherhood through Squall’s. The boy was a healing light for all of them.

Rinoa pulled back, almost breathless. “We should go to bed,” she whispered, with a glint in her eyes that said she didn’t mean to sleep.

“Oh?” he smirked. “So you want to get me out of this sweater now?”

“I thought you couldn’t wait to take it off?” she countered, caressing down his back and sliding her hands under the sweater to touch his bare skin.

Squall laughed, a smoky sound that sent a thrill down her back. “You have no idea.”

* * *

“Come in,” said Squall a few days later, when someone knocked on his office’s door.

Rinoa entered with a big binder against her chest. “Hi! Ready for the library’s budget?”

“Yes. There’s also something I want to show you. Did you bring the frame I asked?” he said, motioning for her to sit.

“Of course. Here it is.” She sat next to him, setting the binder and the frame on the desk.

“Ellone sent an e-mail today,” he said, moving his computer’s monitor so she could see better. “She attached the pictures she took on Yuletide.”

“Oh, I wanna see!” she said, clapping her hands excitedly. Squall had gradually softened during that afternoon, even accepting a few posed pictures.

They looked at the pictures, exchanging comments, until Squall stopped on a particular one. It was the picture Ellone had taken when Kiran had smacked his chest after he kissed Rinoa; the boy was looking at his father, with a big, almost mischievous smile and his hands still pulling Squall’s sweater. Rinoa was laughing, her black hair a stark contrast against her red sweater, her eyes shining with happiness. Squall had his arm around her shoulders, and he was bent toward his son, with a softened expression and a sweet smile.

“I love this one,” Rinoa said. “I love all of them, actually. Ellone did a great job.”

Squall nodded. “I’m going to print and frame this one. I’ll keep it on my desk.”

Rinoa smirked. “You mean you want proof of you wearing a silly, red sweater on your desk?”

Squall laughed, reaching out to pull her closer and plant a firm kiss on her lips. “No. That’s not what that picture proves.”

She watched him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“It’s proof I’m not a sourpuss.”

Rinoa burst out laughing. “I’ll ask your sister. I’m sure she’ll say you are!”

“It’s also proof I’m happy.”

He said it with a serious voice and a serene smile, and Rinoa beamed, watching the picture again, before touching his forehead with hers. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

**Author's Note:**

>  ** _Author's note_** : hope you liked it!


End file.
